DUSHANBE , June 5, Asia-Plus - An incident involving representatives from local media took place in the northern city of Isfara last Thursday [June 1].

Ms. Zarrina Valiyeva, representative from the monitoring service of the National Association of Independent Media of Tajikistan (Nansmit), has told Asia-Plus that on June 1, an extraordinary session of the city legislature  (Majlis) of Isfara adopted a decision repealing inviolability of its two members, Homid Karimov and Ikrom Bahodurov, following the recommendation of the city prosecutor.   

According to her, journalists from the local TV station “Isfara” videoed the legislature’s sitting but on the completion of the session representatives from the Isfara mayor’s office asked to give them the video cassette justifying it by saying that it was the closed session.  

In the meantime, Mr. Sakhbon (phonetically pronounced) Qurbonov, director of the “Isfara” TV station said that the cassette was not intended for airing because the session was held behind closed doors.   

According to the Nansmit employee, the same case took place in the northern city of Konibodom on May 30, when editor of local newspaper Ghulom Homidov was not allowed to attend an extraordinary session of the local legislature.